A/N: I don't own the rights to any of these characters, settings or anything to do with Wizarding World. This is a work of fiction based on the universe created by J.K Rowling.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO - SIRIUS
May, 1979
The sun began to set behind the rocky terrain around Sirius as he followed James along the Julien Alps. Slovenia was not a place high on Sirius' dream destinations but so far their latest Order mission had proved to be uneventful and his surroundings surprisingly beautiful. Dumbledore had gathered intel that death eaters Rosier, Dolohov and Avery were scouting the alps to recruit more giants and with Hagrid already engaged with another clan in Switzerland Sirius and James were sent to spy and collect information. James suddenly stopped and waved his wand at a flat rock edge hidden behind a few trees and rocks. They had been marking places throughout the alps as a point of reference should they need to apparate away quickly, they would simply follow their different spots all the way back out of the alps. Sirius pulled out their water flask and handed it to James before taking a seat under the nearby tree. James grinned and drank some water before sitting down next to Sirius.
"Feels like it's going to be another cold night." James said, "Good thing we packed our warmer clothes as well."
"Yes, good thing Lily packed them for us?" Sirius replied and smirked at James.
"Alright, alright. Thank Merlin for Lil." James said and pulled a jumper out from his knapsack.
"How is married life treating you Prongs?"
"It's the best. We've gotten into a good routine with life now. At first I was a bit worried I wasn't going to be very good at the whole husband thing. But we're happy."
"Do you ever lose your mind when she's doing things for the Order?"
"Of course I worry about her. She's my wife. But I also need to trust that she knows what she's doing." James eyed Sirius carefully, who was staring at the ground, "Are you worried about Remus?"
Sirius sighed and nodded, "Dumbledore has asked him to go undercover with the werewolf community."
"And you don't think he can handle it?"
"It's not like what you and I do, tailing death eaters and sometimes getting into duels. He'll be interacting with them every day, pretending to be one of them, part of their community… On their side."
"But you know he's not on their side Padfoot, he's on our side and he always will be. He's a tough boy."
"Tough enough to withstand temptation? He'll need to turn with them sometimes Prongs. It'll change him."
"Then we just need to make sure the time he is with us and you especially that he is reminded what he is fighting for. We all have something special Padfoot, a real bond and I trust you all with my life. He will be okay."
"I hope you're right."
"Have I ever let you down before?"
"No, you haven't." Sirius said and smiled, "You're right. I have to trust."
"Attaboy." James said and got to his feet, "Now grab a jumper and lets see what these assholes are up to tonight."
Sirius tugged on his jumper and the two of them continued along the alps, moving in unison and silence until they heard chatter carrying across the rocks. James pulled out the invisibility cloak and they edge along the rocky surface until they found them nestled in a clearing and sitting around a fire. Darkness had enveloped the alps but James and Sirius kept the cloak on anyway for good measure. Rosier drained his flask and waved his wand to refill it, chuckling to himself. Dolohov and Avery sat opposite him, warming their hands on the fire.
"The Dark Lord will be pleased with our efforts." Dolohov announced, "The clan are his supporters, we'll be able to utilise them quite quickly."
"In the morning we will present them with the final gift and sort out the terms of the alliance. The wizarding world won't stand a chance once we have united all the European clans." Rosier chuckled.
"Why wasn't Regulus here?" Avery asked.
Sirius felt his heart pound and he looked around quickly for any sign of his brother and felt James clasp his hand down on his shoulder, both a comfort and a warning. Sirius steadied himself and leant forward.
"Didn't you hear?" Rosier laughed, "He defected, the filthy traitor."
"He defected?" Avery responded angrily.
"I would give anything to catch the filth and torture him til sunrise." Dolohov said and spat in the fire. James tightened his grip on Sirius.
Rosier laughed, "I would love to do the same but no one defects from the Dark Lord and lives a moment to talk about it."
"So they caught him?" Avery asked.
"He's as good as dead. He had been working closely with the Dark Lord so he would've taken care of that himself. That traitor would have been tortured in all our favourite ways for days on end until he died." Rosier said and drained his flask again.
"I bet he cried. I wish I got to hear his screams…" Dolohov mused, "Good riddance!"
"YOU BASTARDS!" Sirius screamed and pointed his wand at the fire causing the embers to shoot out in multiple directions.
The death eaters were flung backward as James pulled Sirius back and turned on the spot disapparating. They began apparating their way across the alps and the death eaters trailed behind them firing curses at multiple surfaces along the alps. As they reached one of their spots Sirius pulled James down and purple light collided with the rock above them. They dove behind a nearby boulder as pieces of rock fell on the ground around them. James flung the cloak over the two of them and pressed his hand over Sirius' mouth and peered around the side. Sirius looked around him and watched Dolohov fly overhead shooting curses in every direction, Avery and Rosier were apparating across the alps in pursuit when Sirius heard a scream.
"I can't apparate across these fucking alps." Rosier hissed, "I can't see anything and if we can't do it then neither can they. They must be hiding."
"Do you think they're further back, closer to the fire?" Avery asked.
"Dolohov can you see anything?" Rosier called out.
"Lumos Maxima!" Dolohov cried and the area around them suddenly lit up.
Sirius ducked and moved closer to James making sure they were both covered by the cloak. His heart pounded in his chest. He felt like an idiot yelling out the way he did. Remus always tells him to keep his emotions under control and here he was flying off the handle again and putting their lives at risk. And for what, Sirius thought to himself, Regulus wouldn't give a second thought for him or his friends. Sirius angrily wiped away his tears and looked up again at Dolohov circling around the area.
Sirius looked around frantically and spotted a pile of rocks near a large shrubbery some 50 metres away. Sirius flicked his wand in that direction and a few of the rocks tumbled to the ground the shrubbery gave a quick shake.
"Over there!" Dolohov shouted, pointing his wand at the shrubbery.
The light moved away from James and Sirius as Rosier and Avery took off in that direction, Dolohov flying above directing their way. Sirius grabbed James' sleeved and tugged him along with him. They hurried along the alps, carefully making their way along the rocky edges not daring to apparate again in case the sound echoed back to the death eaters. Sirius felt guilt brewing his gut, he had let himself react to the death eaters and now they were both in danger. James continued ahead of Sirius, not saying a word or looking back. Sirius frowned and followed him through the alps until at last they were far away enough to apparate once again. James grabbed Sirius' hand and they apparated along the remainder of the alps until they reached the Forest of Triglav. James moved at Sirius quickly and slammed him against a nearby tree.
"What the fuck is wrong with you Padfoot?" James yelled, "They could've killed us. They could've captured us and taken us to the giants and Merlin knows what would've happened to us then. And now thanks to you, they know they were being watched. What if they change their plans? Huh. What happens then?"
"James. James I'm so sorry." Sirius said and moved James' hands away from his chest, "I'm so fucking sorry."
"What were you thinking? I have to get back home to Lily, I promised her I would. And with my parents so ill I need to see them one more time. You can't be so selfish Padfoot. This isn't just about you."
"I KNOW." Sirius pushed away from James and walked into the forest before whirling around, "But that's my baby brother. I know I was supposed to forget about him the day he joined that lot but he's still my brother. He's still the little boy I played exploding snap with, who I taught to fly. The little boy who used to hide in my room when our parents were fighting. He's the little boy who got sorted into a different house than his older brother and was swallowed up by the evil pure blood bullshit that I couldn't protect him from. And I know he made mistake after mistake but you heard them. He realised it in the end and left them. I wish he came to us. I wish we found him, we could've saved him, helped him..."
"Sirius." Jame said, "Sirius it's not your fault."
"Because they're right. As if he is still out there. As if Lord Go-Fuck-Yourself hasn't found him and tortured him and killed him. My brother. The only one in that family who I ever knew really loved me. Now I really don't have any family."
Sirius crumbled to the floor sobbing, his mind filled with the image of his little brother with all the life drained from him. Sirius continued to cry as James knelt down beside him and wrapped his arms around Sirius.
"Padfoot. As long as my heart is beating you will always have a family. You know that. You're my brother."
"I can't lose your parents now too Prongs. I just can't."
James pulled Sirius into a tighter hug, "I know mate, me neither. Me neither. But I need you to breathe and I need you to calm down because we've got to get home."
Sirius hugged James tightly for a moment before pulling away, "I'm sorry I nearly got us killed tonight Prongs. I'll have a chat with Dumbeldore and keep things low key for a while until I've got this under control."
"Thanks Padfoot. And you don't have to deal with it alone, you've got me and Remus and blimey Lil and Peter too. We'll all help you through it. You're not alone."
Sirius nodded and shook his head, his long hair untangling around his neck. James stuffed the invisibility cloak back in his knapsack and Sirius held out his hand to apparate one more time. In an instant they were in the basement of a Slovenian pub, Sirius dashed behind the largest barrel and waved his wand. A silver kettle appeared and began to glow as Sirius and James grabbed it and disappeared.
The portkey dropped them off near a large oak tree in an English forest. The spring air around them was warm and inviting, Sirius shrugged out of his jumper and tied it around his waist. James stuffed the silver kettle in the hollowed out part of a nearby tree and tugged off his jumper. Sirius winked.
"Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed, "You're a married man, put your clothes back on!"
James chuckled and shimmied toward Sirius, "Darling I'm just getting started!"
Sirius chuckled and took James' hand, "Let's get you home to that wife of yours."
Sirius turned on the spot and they disapparated for a final time. With a loud crack they appeared in the woods at the edge of the Potter's estate. James grinned ear to ear and stepped out toward the house before stopping abruptly. Sirius felt his stomach drop as he followed James forward. The house was completely lit up and eerily still. James took off running at the house and Sirius raced after him, his heart pounding in his chest and his desperation running throughout his body. Please be okay. Sirius thought to himself. Please Merlin just let everyone be okay. James barrelled through the front door with Sirius at his heels. James took off down the hallway.
"Mum! Dad!" James cried out, "Lily!"
Sirius stood in the entrance hall panting and gazed around for a sign when he noticed Lily walking down the stairs. James had come back to the entrance hall as Lily reached the bottom stair, her eyes were puffy and bloodshot and she wrapped her arms around James' neck. Sirius felt himself start to shake.
"They were so proud of you, you know." Lily whispered, "So proud."
"Where are they?" James whispered, his voice unsteady.
"They were so desperate to hold on until you came home but they…" Lily began to cry, "The Dragon Pox had taken a hold of them. They passed away together a few hours ago. I didn't know how to contact you both to bring you home. I tried everything I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry."
Sirius watched as James pulled Lily into a tight hug as he began to sob into her shoulder and crumble to the floor. Sirius tried to move forward and be there for James but he felt stuck in the one spot and the room began to spin. In one night he lost three people and he didn't know what he was supposed to do about it. He felt a great urge to break something or scream. But he still couldn't move. James continued to sob and Lily held him, rocking him slightly.
Sirius wasn't sure how long he stood in that spot, every time Euphemia or Fleamont came into his mind he willed them away. They would be replaced by Regulus and he promised himself he would not break. James' sobs began to quieten and Sirius pushed himself forward toward the East Wing hallway, as he passed the staircase he felt Lily's hand gently brush along his hand.
"Sirius." Lily whispered, "Sirius, please."
Sirius ignored Lily and continued walking up the hallway, his eyes stinging and his body trembling with each step. He inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet smell of Euphemia's perfume that still hung in the air of the house, the subtle honey that Fleamont added to his whiskey each night and the never ending tea that filled their cups and the air around him. Sirius staggered slightly and reached out to the wall to keep himself upright as he willed himself forward.
At last he reached the double doors that led to the private quarters of Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. Sirius' hands trembled as he pushed the doors open. The room was still and quiet. A teapot was still resting on the table by the large arched window. Fleamont's dressing gown was draped over the end of the bed, his slippers on the floor in front of it. Sirius walked across the room to Euphemia's side of the bed. There was still a soft indent on the pillow from where she used to lay her head. George Orwell's 1984, from Lily no doubt, sat on the bedside table with a bookmark sticking out the top, she never got to finish it. Sirius picked up Euphemia's glasses that rested next to the book and placed them on his face. The edges of the room blurred and he traced his hand along the bed and sat down on the edge.
They're gone. They've left me too.
Sirius removed the glasses, gently placing them on the bedside table, and curled up on the bed. His body began to tremble and he felt hot tears roll down his cheeks. Sirius couldn't comprehend how this had happened, how two of the kindest and most loving people had reached the end of their life. They let him live in their house when he had nowhere else to go, they kept him in school, bought him clothes and always gave him someone to listen to him when he needed advice. They gave him a home and they loved him.
Sirius began to sob harder and clung to Euphemia's pillow. In a cruel twist of irony the only person who had the power to make him feel better right now was Euphemia, the Mother he had always needed. Sirius furiously wiped away his tears and more continued to fall.
"Sirius?" James whispered, "Why are you in here?"
Sirius heard James wall across the room and felt the bed sink slightly as he sat down. Sirius cleared his throat and wiped his eyes.
"I just needed my Mum." Sirius croaked and began to cry again, "I know she wasn't really my Mum, she's yours. But she was the closest I had and I... I just needed to be close to her."
Sirius felt James move and suddenly his arms were around Sirius from behind, spooning him on the bed.
"She was your Mum too, Padfoot." James whispered, "And she was so honoured to be that for you. Two sons, she would tell people she had two sons."
Sirius felt his body shake again as he cried, "It's not fair. For both of them. It's not fair."
"No it's not."
"Merlin, Prongs I'm so sorry."
"They deserved so many more years than this." James squeezes Sirius tighter, "I know right now you're probably feeling like you don't have a family anymore but you do, Padfoot. This is still your home. It will always be your home and I will always be your family."
"I love you Prongs."
"I love you too Padfoot."
Sirius felt his breath start to calm down and the shaking in his body began to slow down. James continued to hold Sirius until his eyelids grew heavy and the room slowly faded away.